Production of colored tobacco smokes



Patented Oct. 5, 1932 UNITED STATES PRODUCTION OF COLORED TOBACCO SMOKES Otto Louis Miller, Memphis, Tenn, assignor to Robert D. Abbott, St. Louis, M0.

N Drawing. Application September-13, 1933, Serial No. 689,266

4 Claims.

This invention relates to the production of distinctively colored smokes from the burning of tobacco and, in one embodiment, relates to the incorporation, in cigarettes, of substances having 5 the property of imparting a distinctive color to the smoke from the burning of the tobacco therein.

The cigarette is a convenient vehicle for preparing tobacco and the cigarette industry is a large one representing the final development in the use of smoking tobacco by the human race. Approximately one hundred and fourteen billion cigarettes were manufactured in the United States in 1931. Cigarette smoking is not only a matter of enjoyment and stimulation but, to a large extent, it is a means of breaking down reserve in business and social meetings and thus facilitating the objects thereof. The present invention is directed particularly to improving the cigarette in respect to all of its uses.

As an illustration of how the present invention contemplates improving the enjoyment as well as the social value of the cigarette, it is well known that one does not enjoy smoking a cigarette in the dark as well as in daylight or in an artificially lighted room. The reason for this is that there is an additional enjoyment in watching the smoke and contemplating on the variegated forms it assumes.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to increase this enjoyment by adding to the cigarette a material of a harmless character which will color the smoke. It is within the scope of the invention to cause the smoke to assume any of the colors of the rainbow or the solar spectrum.

There are many applications, particularly from a social viewpoint, in the use of the invention, for example, a type of cigarette made in accordance with the present invention can be employed to produce a smoke which matches the color of ladies gowns or any other article of wear, jewelry, or other surroundings, depending on the will or whim of the smoker.

The ordinary cigarette generally comprises cured and finely cut tobacco surrounded by a paper jacket or wrapper. The tobacco is usually a special blend which may vary with the brand. Cigarettes are made at a tremendous rate of production by special machinery and the present invention does not contemplate changing the manufacturing method or equipment for producing the cigarettes per se, but simply goes one step further by incorporating into the tobacco or the paper, or both, preferably in the tobacco, a substance capable of forming a colored volatile dispersion usually of finely divided particles which pass of! with the smoke from the tobacco of the cigarette when the latter is lighted and smoked in the usual manner. The heat of the lighted end of the cigarette causes the coloring material to volatilize and color the smoke.

In one embodiment the invention comprises adding to the tobacco, preferably after preparation in suitable form for cigarette manufacture, a substance capable of being dispersed or volatilized at smoking temperature to form a colored smoke.

In another embodiment the paper employed as a jacket for the cigarette may be impregnated with a substance capable of being dispersed or volatilized at smoking temperature to form a colored smoke. In still another embodiment the substance capable of. being dispersed or volatilized to form a colored smoke is incorporated with the tobacco and/or the paper, and the paper itself may be colored with a non-volatile coloring material either of the same or a different hue from that of the smoke produced when the cigarette is smoked.

As a further feature of the invention, harmless combustion promoting substances such as potassium chlorate or potassium nitrate and combustion supporting substances such as lactose and similar combustible substances may be added to assist in carrying out the purposes of the invention.

As still another feature of the invention, various substances may be added which would cause the lighted end of the cigarette to become colored or glow with a colored light, examples of which are strontium salts to produce a deep red color, sodium salts to produce a yellow color, calcium salts to produce a brick red, potassium salts to produce a violet color and similar substances, generally of a harmless character.

The substances suitable for producing colored smokes in cigarettes may vary over a wide range and may include organic and inorganic materials which may be highly dispersed when heated, but preferably organic dyes which volatilize or sublime when heated, are employed. Preferably, the dyes should be of a harmless character.

As specific examples of the types of material I may employ the non-poisonous food dyes, included among which are the scarlet reds, chrysodine orange and eosin auramine yellow 0, indigo and methylene blue and others.

More specifically, when it is desired to produce a red smoke, various oil scarlets may be employed. Paranitraniline red also produces a very intense red smoke but the tests are still incomplete as to its physiological properties. A very satisfactory yellow smoke may be produced employing chrysodine orange and auramine yellow 0 using approximately one part of chrysodine to four parts of auramine yellow 0. Blue smokes may be produced by employing indigo, preferably synthetic, or methylene blue or mixtures of the same. Green smokes may be produced by employing ap- I substances which may bowed to. produced colored smokes in cigarettes. It is essential that the material employed produce a colored vapor or smoke when heated, be fairly. stableso that it does not decompose readily, andbe physiologically harmless. It may be assumed that all of the dyes andcoloring materials which are acceptable for food purposes may also be employed in connection with the present invention providing they have the other desirable properties heretofore specified such as volatility, etc. In short;,a. large number of substances may be employed in connection with the present inventionto produce practically all of the colors of the rainbow, namely, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet and the intermediate'colors thereof.

In carrying out the invention the dye, or other coloring material selected for use may be mixed in suitable proportions and :preferablyin finely divided conditionwith the blended tobaccos which are otherwise ready for use, and the cigarettes then made upin the'usual manner or, the dyes may be dissolved in asuitable solvent and, sprayed on the tobacco while the blends are being -pre-.

,pared or subsequenttheretor When the solution of dye'is employed the sol-- vent is selected in accordance with the properties of the materialusedi Forexample, chrysodine may be dissolved in alcoholic solution, auramine' I in an ether solution or a mixture of alcohol and ether, indigo and-methyleneblue in aqueous solutions, etc.

above illustrations are merely given for examples. The paper may likewise be impregnated, if desired, with the dye or other coloring material or as mentioned before, may be colored with a dye or pigment color which does not form a colored volatile smoke but which may match or be similar in color to the smoke produced.

When combustion promoting substances such as potassium chlorate are employed, they may be present in proportions varying from 10% to more or less, of the amount of dye employed, and similar amounts of lactose or other substances which help to support the combustion may be employed.

As specific examples of the invention and the product produced thereby, I may mention the following:

A blend of tobacco prepared and suitable for manufacturing cigarettes such as may be employed by the leading brands in todays market may be mixed directly with a suitable dye or solution thereof in a cylindrical mixing machine tilted to discharge the product, or preferably a continu-' ous fine spray of a solution of a suitable dye such as those mentioned above may be sprayed upon the tobacco in proportions varying from 0.001% to 5% of actual dye, depending upon its smoke tinting strength and the shade or intensity of color desired. The solvent may be removed later by evaporation. As an alternative method of mixing, the dye in finely divided form may be directly incorporated in a mixing or blending machine of the type described or of any other Dyes which are not soluble in water are preferred although they may be used. 'The proximately two parts of indigo and one part of type into the the tobacco prepared for cigarette manufacture, in proportions suitable to produce a color of the proper intensity. This will also depend upon the dye employed aswell as upon the efilciency of. its distribution and the intensity and character of the color to be imparted to the smoke.

The mixtureof suitably prepared tobacco or 1 blend thereof and dye or other suitable coloringmaterial of the'characterdescribed is thenintroduced in the paper jacket, sheath, or wrapper in the usual manner. This paper jacket or sheath may be: previously colored: with a substance which incorporate it'into thetobaccm In other cases the paper sheath or jacket. is'simply colored, for

example, with a material which does notimpart v to impart the color to the smoke rather than to v j color to the smokebut simply matches or contrasts with the colorof the smoke.

In other cases substances like'calcium salts,

sodium salts, and theilike maybe added to cause the lightedend of the cigarette to assume a colored glow in addition to the other effects already 'described.'- I v While I have particularly stressed the preparation of cigarettes to produce colored smokes, it is,-

of course-understood that the invention may also be applied to the coloring of smokes from cigars,

pipes and the like in a manner which is obvious "from the application'of the invention to cigarettes, namely the direct application of the dye or a solution thereof to the tobacco; "Having now described. my invention and the manner in which it is to be carried out, I wish to particularly emphasize that the examples given are merely. illustrative and should not be construed as limiting the scope and purpose of the I invention as there may be many variations in the types of coloring material employed to produce a smoke of practically any color desired.

I claim as my invention:

1. A cigarette comprising a paper sheath, a tobacco filling and a non-toxic substance capable of distinctively coloring the smoke of the said cigarette when the latter is smoked in the usual manner, comprising a volatile organic dye stable at atmospheric temperature.

2. A cigarette comprising a paper sheath, a tobacco filling and a non-toxic substance contained in the paper sheath capable of producing a distinctive colored smoke when the cigarette is smoked in the usual manner, comprising a volatile organic dye stable at atmospheric temperature.

3. A cigarette comprising a paper sheath, a tobacco filling and a non-toxic substance contained in the tobacco capable of producing a distinctive colored smoke when the cigarette is smoked in the usual manner, comprising a volatile organic dye stable at atmospheric temperature.

4. A cigarette, comprising in combination, a paper sheath, a tobacco filler adapted to be retained within said sheath, and an incorporated coloring material for the smoke evolved from said cigarette after its ignition, comprising a volatile non-toxic organic dye stable at atmospheric temperature.

O'I'IO LOUIS MILPER. 

